In efforts to curb global warming, reducing CO₂ emissions has become a global challenge. Japan has set a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46% from 2013 levels by 2030 and take on the challenge of reaching the 50% mark. Carbon Recycling is currently attracting attention as a way to reduce CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere by reusing CO₂ as a resource for materials, fuel, and other purposes.
So at the Davos meeting in January 2019, Japan referred to the need to recycle CO₂, and in June of the same year, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry formulated the Roadmap for Carbon Recycling Technologies, a policy which considers CO₂ as a resource, separates and recovers it, and reuses it in form of various products such as concrete, chemicals, and fuels to curb CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere. In the Carbon Recycling 3C Initiative presented by the Ministry in September 2019 and the Environment Innovation Strategy (by Integrated Innovation Strategy Promotion Council) formulated in January 2020, a project was announced to develop Osaki-Kamijima Island in Hiroshima, where such projects on integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) and integrated gasification fuel cell cycle (IGFC) are underway, as a demonstration and research center for Carbon Recycling. In December of the same year, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) took the lead in formulating the Green Growth Strategy towards 2050 Carbon Neutrality in collaboration with related ministries and agencies. In particular, Carbon Recycling will be positioned as one of the key technology areas to realize a carbon-neutral society.